Nepeta plant named ‘Kitten Around’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct hardy perennial plant,  Nepeta  ‘Kitten Around’, has rounded, very short and compact habit with mostly upright stems. The foliage is small, serrate and fragrant. Flowers are a periwinkle blue with persistent rosy-purple calyces. The new plant reblooms heavily if trimmed after initial flowering.

Botanical denomination: Nepeta x faassenii.

Variety designation: ‘Kitten Around’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nepeta named ‘Kitten Around’. The new plant resulted from a cross between Nepeta ‘Purrsian Blue’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,788 as the female or seed parent and Nepeta ‘Psfike’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,904 as the male or pollen parent directed by the inventor on Jun. 12, 2012. Seed was harvested Aug. 7, 2012 and eventually assigned the breeder code 12-2-2 toward the end of the trial period. ‘Kitten Around’ was approved in a final evaluation in the summer of 2015 and slated for later introduction. The new plant was selected based on the compact habit and repeat blooming following trimming. The new plant has been asexually propagated by tip cuttings with the resultant plants remaining identical to the original plant, stable and true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Nepeta ‘Kitten Around’ is different from its parents and all other Catmint known to the inventor. In comparison to the female parent, ‘Purrsian Blue’, the new plant is more compact and shorter. Compared to the male parent, ‘Psfike’, the new plant is also shorter and more compact. The nearest comparison varieties are Nepeta ‘Novanepjun’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,074, more commonly known as ‘Junior Walker’. Compared with ‘Novanepjun’ the new plant is more compact with smaller leaves and habit. Compared with ‘Walker's Low’ (not patented) the new plant is less than one-half the landscape size and is more compact. In comparison to ‘Blue Dragon’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,334, ‘Cat's Meow’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,472, and ‘Summer Magic’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,090 the new plant is more compact and shorter than each.

The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with changes in the environment such as light, temperature, water and nutrient availability, etc. without a change in the genotype of the plant. Nepeta ‘Kitten Around’ is unique from all other catmint known to the inventor in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. The habit is rounded, very short and compact with mostly         upright stems.     -   2. Foliage is small with serrate teeth and fragrant.     -   3. Flowers are periwinkle blue with persistent rosy-purple         calyces.     -   4. Plant reblooms heavily if trimmed after initial flowering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant Nepeta ‘Kitten Around’ are of a two-year old plant in a full-sun, trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. and demonstrate the unique aspects of the new plant. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the overall habit of Nepeta ‘Kitten Around’.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers, buds and stems.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions are based on a two-year old plant of Nepeta ‘Kitten Around’ grown in a full-sun trial garden in sandy loam with supplemental water and fertilizer as needed. The color references are based on the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype.

-   Parentage: ‘Purrsian Blue’ as the female or seed parent, the male or     pollen parent was ‘Psfike’; -   Plant habit: Herbaceous perennial; upright mounding to about 28 cm     tall and 42 cm wide at the base in flower; -   Growth: Rapid; time to initiate roots at 23° C. about one week;     finishing in a standard #1-15 cm container in about 8 to 10 weeks     from rooted 25 mm plug; -   Root: Fine, freely branching; color nearest RHS 158D depending on     soil type and nutrient content; -   Foliage: Opposite; simple; ovate; rugose on both abaxial and adaxial     surfaces; margins serrate with about 10 teeth per side; finely     puberulent on abaxial and adaxial surfaces; apex broadly acute; base     rounded; blade size to about 29.0 mm long and 21.0 mm wide, average     about 21.0 mm long and 15 mm across; -   Foliage fragrance: Foliage and stem herbal fragrance; -   Venation: Longitudinal; impressed on adaxial surface and ribbed on     abaxial surface; -   Vein color: Adaxial nearest RHS 137C and abaxial between RHS 146B     and RHS 146C; -   Leaf color: Young expanding adaxial nearest RHS 138A, young     expanding abaxial nearest RHS 138B; mature adaxial nearest RHS 137A,     mature abaxial nearest RHS 147B; -   Petiole: Pubescent adaxial and abaxial; concavo-convex; to about 9.0     mm long and 1.5 mm across at base; average about 6.0 mm long and     about 1.2 mm across; -   Petiole color: Adaxial nearest RHS 146B, abaxial nearest RHS 146C; -   Stem: Pubescent, quadrangular, about 30.0 cm long and 3.0 mm across     at base; about 30 stems per plant; branched in upper 6 nodes; 12     branches per stem, branches to about 10.5 cm long and 1.2 mm across     at base; -   Stem color: Lower portion nearest RHS 146B, upper portion nearest     RHS 146A blushed with nearest RHS N186C to solid RHS N186C; -   Internodes: Average about 3.3 cm apart with greatest distance in the     middle of the stem; about 8 nodes per stem before flowers, branched     in upper 6 nodes; -   Internode color: Same as surrounding stem; -   Inflorescence: Cymosely clustered with many flowers either sessile     or branched at verticillasters in the 6 upper nodes; about 9 to 20     flowers per node and about 50 to 100 flowers per inflorescence stem     or peduncle; -   Peduncle: Mainly vertical; flower portion in distal 6.5 cm and 3.5     cm wide, -   Pedicel: Sessile; -   Flower bud: Curved clavate; about 9.0 mm long and 4.5 mm wide at the     widest point one day prior to opening; adaxial surface pubescent; -   Flower bud color: Petal portion nearest RHS 86B distally and nearest     RHS N87D near calyx; calyx portion nearest RHS 139B with tinting of     between RHS N186D and RHS 187B; -   Flowers: Zygomophic; perfect; bilabiate; sympetalous with basal 10.0     mm fused; synsepalous; lips opening to form about 120 degree angle     to each other; 13.0 mm long and 10.0 mm across broadest face; in     dense verticillasters;     -   -   Upper lip.—With two lobes; puberulent on basal two-thirds of             abaxial surface, glabrous distally and adaxial; lobes about             2.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide above fusion; lobes with rounded             apex; total size of lip about 11.0 mm long and about 5.0 mm             wide at fusion.         -   Lower lip.—Consisting of three lobes; center and largest             lobe concave to flattened with rounded apex and crenate             margin; two side lobes with rounded apices and entire             margin; center lobe to 5.0 mm long from fusion and 5.0 mm             across; side lobes 2.0 mm long from fusion and 3.0 mm             across; puberulent abaxial, glabrous adaxial except             pubescent tuft of white hairs nearest NN155D about 2.0 mm             long outside fusion of two lips.         -   Petal color.—Adaxial face upper and lower lips nearest RHS             N88C with marginal rim nearest RHS N87C; adaxial tube             nearest RHS 84D with spots in semi-circle in proximal tube             mouth between RHS 83A and RHS 83B; abaxial upper face             nearest RHS N87C with marginal rim nearest RHS N87A; abaxial             tube between RHS N87C and RHS N87D. -   Calyx: Synsepalous, 5-merous fused into tube in basal 4.0 mm and     separated in distal 2.0 mm; about 6.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter; -   Sepals: Five; acute apex, base fused; with about 3 conspicuous     longitudinal veins; pubescent adaxial, glabrous abaxial; persistent;     about 6.0 mm long and 1.0 mm across at fusion; -   Sepal color: Adaxial between veins nearest RHS 145C and veins     nearest RHS 146A, in regions of high light blushed nearest RHS     N186C; abaxial nearest RHS 145C with veins nearest RHS 146A and in     high light nearest RHS 187B with veins blushed nearest RHS N186C; -   Gynoecium: Single compound ovary with two carpels, single gynobasic     style, and stigma split in two parts;     -   -   Style.—About 12.0 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter; color basal             one-half between RHS 71A and RHS 72A, distally lightening to             nearest RHS 76B.         -   Stigma.—Bifid in distal 1.0 mm to sharply acute apex; color             nearest RHS 83A.         -   Ovary.—Four-lobed, each lobe ovoid, about 1.0 mm long and             0.5 mm across, ovary color between RHS 145A and RHS N144D. -   Androecium: Four;     -   -   Filaments.—Adnate to petals, free in distal 4.0 mm terete;             color nearest RHS N87B.         -   Anthers.—Oblong ellipsoidal; 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS N186A.         -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 158B. -   Flowering period: In Western Michigan beginning early June for six     weeks and repeating into October if trimmed back; individual flowers     remain open for up to three days; -   Flower fragrance: None detected; -   Flower attitude: Outwardly; -   Fruit and seed: Rare, nutlets, flattened, round; about 1.5 mm     diameter and 0.5 mm thick; nearest RHS 200B; -   Pest and disease susceptibility: No resistance beyond that which is     typical for Nepeta but typically not prone to browsing by deer or     rodents. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct hardy perennial Nepeta plant, named ‘Kitten Around’ essentially as herein described and illustrated useful for landscaping as a specimen, en masse, or in a container to bring color and fragrance to a garden and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. 